


Saphrosyne

by mikazuki21



Series: Together, We Heal [2]
Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Youkai
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:54:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28129470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikazuki21/pseuds/mikazuki21
Summary: "How do you really feel right now?"In which Natsume explore more about his new friend, and realize something behind their first meeting.
Relationships: Natsume Takashi & Original Character(s), yokai & original male character
Series: Together, We Heal [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1601494
Kudos: 2





	Saphrosyne

**Author's Note:**

> Oh wow. This... took too long. *gulps* I was also planning to post this in my birthday, but things got too busy that I forgot about this, oops. XD
> 
> But anyway, here's the second part of the series centered on my other OC, Yamaya Haruto!

It was nice, but maybe Natsume should've brought a jacket.

It was supposed to be a hot summer day, even the weather girl from a large television in the nearby appliance store informs it when he passed by. The town was busy selling cool desserts and beverages that matches the vindicated season, but even with the vending machine just a brief walk from the bench he settled on, Natsume thought it's too windy to buy one.

He decides for a walk this weekend since this is a rare chance for a fine weather in this hot season. Children giggling and skipping on the ground resounds in the park, making the atmosphere fun and lively even with just Natsume and the kids around the place, or at least on his line of sight.

The boy smiles at the view then averts his eyes somewhere to avoid being caught staring. His vision then occupies the green, swirling leaf on the small tree branch entangled in-between the bush full of white daisies just across him. Barely holding onto the branch and on the verge of falling down, but the wind kept on twisting it back and forth before it lands on its demise. Natsume found it weirdly amusing.

Or was it a youkai? No... It doesn't look like it. He squints his eyes on the leaf and it looks nothing more than a work of nature. (Though youkai can be anything Natsume never know about, that's for sure.)

Watching the way the certain leaf moves, he got this feeling that he saw something similar to its movements before, his mind then tries to address where or when.

A dark figure then flashes on his mind, and it -he was standing in a dangerous spot. In only a foot. Why is he there again?

The noises of children giggling in the background starts to blur as he tries to recall the odd memory. The more he tries to pick the pieces, the more anxious he became and his mind is turning gray, as he found himself reminiscing that moment on that man's point of view. How does that man feel, watching the running cars passing the bridge below while losing own balance? Wasn't that terrifying?

A loud rustle on the bush thankfully snapped him out of his disturbing thought in an instant. While the leaf slowly falls down, a large, gold butterfly came out and flew away from the flowery bush.

Then a man with a huge camera on his hand stood up frustrated.

"I almost got it!" 

"Yamaya-san!?"

"Huh? Natsume?"

The man across him, standing tall with few leaves around his hair and coat, whose eyes the same color as that butterfly shut in annoyance before, was now open and large the moment he heard his name and met his own with surprise and strange but warm familiarity. How long has it been since they saw each other for him to act this way?

Not like Natsume's was different though. This was the guy his newfound youkai friend saved on that bridge. What could've happen if they never saw this weird but bright and cheerful man that day?

"Hi there! Its been like a month since we first met! How are you?" Yamaya amicably waves in the air, a big bright smile on his face.

Completely different from the one he's wearing the first time, even he could see it from a distance.

"I've been doing fine, Yamaya-san. How about you?" Natsume answers brightly.

He groans, but not too seriously to reach concern. "I'm so glad you asked that. It's been going great, but college is killing me right now with their heavy homeworks and tight deadlines." Yamaya's tiredness is obvious in his voice. "You need to think about your career choices soon, Natsume. Don't be like me."

"But I thought you love your course."

"Yeah, just kidding, I love it." Yamaya chuckles. "It the strict professors that I hate." Then he jokingly whispers like he's afraid he'll get caught. "And this is just between us."

A laugh made its way on Natsume's lips from Yamaya's silliness. "I'm sure you can do it, Yamaya-san."

"Yeah, I really need to do my best here." He nods to himself. "There was a time I wasn't present in class in a day then my roommate pour my bed with notes when he got back. He even threw some at my face!"

"It's that _bad_? Why are you even absent that day?"

"Don't blame me! I was too tired after all that yokai fiasco!" Yamaya defends.

"It was after _that_!?" Now Natsume is completely surprised and a bit mortified. He remembers Yamaya already covered in dirt when he was with Natori, and he even have few scratches in the aftermath. He never knew he was troubling him when have so much to do. Shame stretches on his feature at the thought. "I'm sorry I dragged you back there."

"Woah, don't say sorry Natsume. You never dragged me, I insisted, and it was worth it." Yamaya's smile is genuine. "Really."

"I see." So genuine that it's contagious. "It was."

"By the way, how was Nobume doing? I was also planning on visiting her after taking pictures but..." Yamaya glances sideways with a finger on his chin while muttering. His left shoulder clearly open, he caught his eye in something narrow and dark-

_Wait._

Natsume rushes without caution and held the shocked Yamaya in place, ignoring the squirm coming out of his mouth the moment he moves him and checks his shoulders around repeatedly to see something strange. But as he tries to observe closely, nothing was entrenched on his shoulder.

"Natsume? What's wrong? Is there something in my coat?" He looks up from the apprehensive voice of his friend. Yamaya was looking back at him and at his shoulders with a slight frown, mystified and uncertain.

Looking at his back one last time, he slowly let go. Maybe he's just seeing things. "Nothing."

"I see. I thought you saw some dirt in here or something. Like, come on, this is brand new." Yamaya lightly laughs, trying to brighten the mood. "By the way, is Nobume doing well?"

Finally paying attention on the man's question about the said youkai, Natsume answers, "She's doing fine, I... think. Now that you asked that..."

  
The heavy wind sends a nice chill on Nobume's skin, the usual loud noise of grass and trees are the only noise around her and the sweet smell of forest filling her scent, as she settles along the bristling grass just steps away from her house. She closes her eyes and relaxes at this soothing feeling.

Her hands are occupied on a tiny white barrier covering a floating white daisy, examining it curiously on eye level, she thought it looks beautiful.

She removes a hand on the small barrier, braces herself on the next move.  
Raising her hand in the air, Nobume waits for a split moment, then she chops the barrier with force. A large crack appears in the barrier and it shatters and disappears, and the flower fell on her kimono.

 _Destroyed with only a hit..._ Nobume nonchalantly sighs. Its not like she's expecting something more to happen.

"Weakling."

Nobume flinches at the sudden voice behind her, and saw a ceramic cat sitting among the grass just few steps away. "Oh! Natsume's fat cat, um... Nyankomon-sensei?"

Nyanko-sensei bristles. "It's Nyanko-sensei! And this is not fat!"

There's no point in arguing, she figures. "...Okay."

"Why are you looking away!?"

"How is Natsume-san and Yamaya-san?" Nobume asks, ignoring the question on purpose.

The cat just hmphs facing sideways. "How would I know about that wimp, and Natsume is probably looking for trouble again."

"Was he always involved in something troublesome? And if you know that, why aren't you looking for him? You're his bodyguard right?"

"Why would I? It's not like I have an obligation to do so. I'm free to do what I want." 

_Natsume-san, I feel bad for you._

"You're thinking something bad about me, aren't you?"

One thing that she knew so far about the youkai was that one wrong word and you'll be pummeled until he's satisfied, and his fights with Natsume during their trip to another town are a spot on evidence that would always be ended by Natsume's powerful one punch, something only that human posessed. She knew that she should be careful on her approach when engaging with this irredeemable cat, but in some occasions...

"Just thinking about how scabby you are." She says, forgetting about the possible consequence.

"You take that back!" The cat madly jumped through Nobume and bit her hand. It was painful that Nobume jerks up and ran around the field screaming while twisting her bitten hand in an attempt to escape the cat.

It's not working so far. "Ow! Ow! Nyanko-sensei, get off!"

"Nobume?" A worried voice rings out from afar, but barely recognized along with the approaching footsteps and rustling leaves.

Natsume appears and halts, bemused at watching the scene of two youkai (technically Nobume) animatedly circling the field. It took a while before he quickly ran through the ongoing commotion with a very helpful, "Hey, stop it, Nyanko-sensei!"

"Nyankomon? Nyankomon is here!?" Yamaya appears next looking wildly around with glee until his eyes stops on the sight of the now frozen cat.

Thanks to the man's great appearance, Nobume successfully removed Nyanko-sensei from her reddened hand, and throws him directly to Yamaya like some kind of pro pitcher. "Here, catch!"

"Nyankomon!" Yamaya raised his arms wide, welcoming the screaming cat curling like a ball in his arms and squeezes him tight. "I missed you!"

 _Yamaya-san and Taki will surely get along_ , Natsume thought.

"Sorry about him, Nobume. Are you alright?" Natsume stands closer, watching the exhausted Nobume rubbing her bitten hand.

"It's fine." She heavily breathes. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Hmm?" The youkai tilts her head on that side question and her friend's tone of skepticism. She glances behind him and Yamaya was holding the cat tight and looking at her in all strange seriousness. It's easy to know right away that they're either concerned or bothered by something, but she couldn't guess what it is. "Yes... Is something wrong?"

"Well, I asked some of my friends on the way, and they said they never saw you out of this field for a month now."

Nobume flinches. Oh. _That._

"After that brave and touching declaration!? After the youkai incident? After refusing that exorcist slash hot actor's generous request!?" The taller man covers his mouth with his free hand while looking at the youkai like she got caught in a scandal. "Can you believe her, Natsume?"

Natsume just frowns at her with his arms crossed like some overbearing parent. It's already been months since that night happened, Nobume surely have gotten through with it, even just a little. She have said her resolve right beside them, and even refused Natori's offer of trying to seal her back inside the house. Obviously, she wouldn't take that back. "You're not thinking of hiding yourself again, are you?"

Nobume winces. "I'm not! I wouldn't be here outside the house if I'm still hiding, right?"

"Yeah, but why are you just _outside_ the house?" Yamaya walks past Natsume, completely overtaking the growing argument. He ended up watching their exchanges together and found it heartening, watching Yamaya all concerned about Nobume's wellbeing like many friends would do, like how his friends acts around him when he's in trouble. So that's what it look like in the outsider's view.

"You're coming with me, right now!" Yamaya concludes the end of their argument, holding the resigned looking Nobume's wrist. Perhaps he decided to finally take her in his dorm after last time's rejection. "Besides, it's a perfect time to show you my masterpieces! No lifesaver of mine is going to miss the opportunity to see the arts I poured my sweat and tears on."

"You just want to gloat, don't you?"

"That's called self-confidence Nyankomon, and I'll teach her how to have that." When Yamaya responds unperturbed, something dark and vague reappears once again on his back, causing Natsume and also Nobume to _tense_ at the strange sight.

But as just as Nobume was about to do something (probably reaching her free hand to pull whatever it was out of Yamaya's body), the shadow disappears in just a split second. She is just as confounded as him right now.

Something is definitely wrong. 

Why didn't Nyanko-sensei sensed it, when the cat was settled around Yamaya's chest unmoving? Wasn't he too powerful to notice that just by feeling it? There's no way this could be nothing when even Nobume saw it with her own eyes and now frightened and agitated that she couldn't speak.

"Natsume, are you coming?" Yamaya asks Natsume with a beam, hugging the long-suffering cat tighter and closer to his face while waiting for an answer. "Please? I want to take Nyankomon with me too!"

Natsume couldn't bring himself to ask either, not when Yamaya comes over with Nyanko-sensei and the frozen Nobume in his hands and leans close to him, smiling in absolute excitement. Yamaya smiling like that of a child makes it hard to believe that he's already in college, and Natsume wouldn't lie if he actually forgot that this man is currently possessed by a youkai in a second just from watching that bright grin.

He took a glance at Nobume's concerned expression, watching Yamaya's back then towards him and they somehow reached an understanding.

"Of course." Natsume only smiles back.

It was risky to act without thinking, so staying with Yamaya for a bit might be the best choice for now.


End file.
